While researching where to eat during my trip to Fukuoka, my friend was talking to me about this Hamburg shop at Hakata Station that he wanted to try out later this year. After checking out their menu, I was instantly convinced and told him that I’ll give it a shot and see if it’s worth the visit.
Located conveniently right next to Hakata Station, Kiwamiya Hamburg is a hamburg and Imari beef specialty shop, simply prepared for you to cook at your table. It’s been a while since I had some good quality wagyu, and with the goal of satisfying both of our curiosities, I made it my mission to see what this place is all about. So let’s get to it. How Good is Kiwamiya Hamburg Actually?
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📋 Menu 📋
Kiwamiya Hamburg’s whole menu consists of a combination of their Hamburg and Imari Beef.
–Hamburg Steak
-2 types of Hamburg Steaks
-Hamburg Steak + Imari Beef Steak
-Imari Beef Steak
Here at the Hakata Store, you can have your Hamburg prepared the standard way (Teppan Grilled – lightly seared on both sides) or the Hakata Exclusive Charcoal Grilled way for some intense smoky aromas.
Some of Kiwamiya Hamburg’s stores also have their own exclusive variations as well (Wood-grilled Hamburg at Yawata, Fukuoka // Wood-fired Hamburg at Hiratsuka, Kanagawa // Kobe Hamburg at Shibuya, Tokyo) So if you end up enjoying what the one here has to offer, maybe check out their other shops during your next visit.
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🍳 At the Table 🍳
At the table, you’ll be provided two sets of chopsticks and an apron.
Since the dishes here are served raw, it’s recommended that you use the metal chopsticks to handle raw food, then switch over to the wooden ones once fully cooked. And the apron’s just there if you want to protect your clothes from any oil splatter during the cooking process.
And in case I don’t mention it later, don’t forget to keep your dish right by the ventilation area to minimize the amount of smoke coming from your plate.
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🥩 Charcoal Grilled Hamburg Steak (200g) & Choice Imari Beef Steak (60g) (¥2,618) 🥩
Kiwamiya Hamburg specializes in both their Hamburg and Imari Beef, so for today’s meal, I decided to go for their Hamburg (Largest size + Charcoal Grilled) & Imari Beef combo.
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🥩 Charcoal Grilled Hamburg Steak (200g) 🥩
Starting off with their Charcoal Grilled Hamburg Steak. The hamburg is served raw with minimal preparation, and with the exterior charcoal-grilled for that distinct charcoal aroma.
To prepare the hamburg, you’ll first need to break it into smaller pieces (being sure to grab some of that outer crust) and then grill it on the heated stone until your desired doneness.
It’s recommended that you sear a thin portion of the hamburg at a time to ensure that the center is cooked – so for something a bit north of medium, I say 20-30 seconds each side should do, adjusting as necessary depending on how hot the stone is.
But if you’re feeling confident in your cooking skills, you can also go for a thicker burger-like shape and cook the hamburg ‘till your ideal temp.
Do note that the Wagyu Hamburg has a lot of fat in it, so I’d personally recommend somewhere near medium for that optimal ratio of sweetness and juiciness.
So how’s the taste? I’ll save the charcoal aroma for later, so let’s talk about their beef first. Kiwamiya states that their hamburgs are made with the minimal amount of binding agents, and it definitely comes through in the taste.
The sweetness of the wagyu fat really shines through here, and when combined with the deeper, meaty profile of the beef – you end up with this really amazing piece of meat that’s full of bold flavors. Plus, if you grill it so that there’s some pink in the middle, you keep the natural flavors of the wagyu, providing another layer of brightness that’s a wonderful contrast to the seared outer crust of the hamburg.
Now, about the charcoal-grilled crust. Right away, the first thing you’ll notice is just how strong that aroma is. It adds such a wonderful smoky aroma to the hamburg, that’s for sure, but I wasn’t expecting anything nearly as strong as this. It can be a little overpowering – for me – around the corners, but as long as you distribute the crust evenly between your portions, the combination of the deep, roasted aroma from the crust and the (relatively) brighter hamburg works wonders together.
My sauce of choice today was their Meat Tare Sauce, which does quite a good job in intensifying the savory and sweet notes of the hamburg. I’ll cover all the sauces later in this review, but in general, I say the hamburg can be paired with just about every sauce they have – so go for whichever one you prefer.
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🥩 Imari Beef (60g) 🥩
Moving on to the Imari Beef – straight from Saga Prefecture. Kiwamiya advertises their beef as having a “Melt-in-your-Mouth” flavor, and to be honest? They’re absolutely right! The beef was incredibly tender, and had this wonderful sweet, buttery aroma from all the fat and marbling.
Like the Hamburg, you’ll need to cook the steak before you can enjoy it.
On a freshly heated stone, you’re looking at just around 10 seconds each side for Medium Rare, adding time as necessary as the stone cools down. And while it’s already amazing at medium rare, if you want to maximize the natural sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth profile of the beef, I recommend you shoot somewhere closer to medium or medium well, to give the fat more time to render out and provide more depth to the dish.
Briefly mentioning my sauce preferences again, but this one’s a bit complicated. The Sweet and Meat Tare we got works quite nicely with the beef. But, for me, no steak dish is complete without one key ingredient – salt.
The beef is served unseasoned, so while the sauce will help add some saltiness to the beef, it alone just doesn’t capture that spark that takes the dish to the next level. Grabbing the Himalayan Salt as your sauce easily fixes that problem, of course, but then you’ve spent that sauce option on just salt… My advice? Ask to see if they can provide you with some regular salt, and your sauce slot will be freed up for whatever other sauce you feel like grabbing! You’ll get the best of both worlds!
But in any case, especially at this price point, I’m incredibly amazed at how good the Imari Beef was! Definitely grab the beef while you’re here, whether it be part of the hamburg set, or just by itself. (But do grab the hamburg as well… They’re both extremely good.)
Side Note: The specific cut of Imari Beef you’ll get will depend on availability. My order came with a bit of silverskin, but because of how marbled the beef was, it wasn’t a big issue at all. (My brother got a really nice cut… and I swapped a piece with his to grab some photos.)
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🥩 Sauce Options 🥩
After mentioning the sauces two separate times already, let’s actually look at some of the sauce options you can add to your meal.
There’s Kiwamiya’s Sweet Tare and Meat Tare for an umami profile. Onion Sauce and Ponzu if you want some acidity. Wasabi and Korean-style Miso Sauce for a bit of kick. Himalayan Rock Salt, and – for hamburg dishes – Scrambled Eggs. (+¥100) You only get one sauce per order, but you can grab extras for +¥50.
What’s my recommendation? For both the hamburg and the steak, I say salt is the way to go (as in, ask them for table salt – not the Himalayan Salt.) But if we’re choosing from the menu here? I’d say either the sweet or meat tare works pretty well as an all-rounder option. But, of course, you have the final say to which sauce you’ll end up ordering.
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🍚 Set Add-ons 🍚
If you want to grab some side items, you can upgrade your dish into a set meal for +¥440, which will give you some rice, miso soup, a side salad, and a soft-serve for dessert – all of which are free refills. Alternatively, you can also just order each of these side dishes individually. (refills also apply.)
Whichever option you end up getting, all of them feature free refills, and if you ordered the soft serve, you can also grab a portion to take away as well!
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🍗 Nanban Chicken with Tartar Sauce (¥539) 🍗
I was with the family today, so we decided to order some appetizers while we waited for our meal. The Namban Chicken here features a crispy sweet and sour fried chicken, topped with a generous amount of tartar sauce. Pretty good by itself, don’t get me wrong, but it’s overshadowed by just how good the main dishes here were.
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📋 Halal Menu 📋
Special mentions to their Halal menu. Halal beef shops aren’t too common in Japan, so it’s always nice to see stores that provide the option. There’s only one dish available (100% Halal Black Wagyu (Kuroge Wagyu) Hamburg – 150g & 300g), but if you want to try out some Japanese beef that passes Halal certifications, this is the shop to check out.
Read more about their certifications here: https://kiwamiya.com/halal
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⭐VERDICT⭐
So how good is Kiwamiya Hamburg actually? Well, as this was a shop that was recommended to me, my expectations were set quite high coming into this trip. Did it meet that expectation? Absolutely!
The hamburg was rich and full of intensely meaty flavors, and when combined with that (quite strong) charcoal aroma, was just this amazing experience.
For the Imari Beef, I’m still really impressed by just how sweet and tender the whole thing was. Sure, it needed a bit of salt, but that’s something that can be easily corrected now that you know.
Overall a very memorable experience! So, if you want to experience some melt-in-your-mouth hamburg and Imari beef at a really nice price point, then make sure to stop by Kiwamiya Hamburg!
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🚗HOW TO GET THERE 🚗
You can find Kiwamiya Hamburg right next to Hakata Bus Terminal.
If you’re arriving via bus, head out of the building and turn right to the building’s side facing the main road.
And if you’re arriving via metro (Hakata Station – Kuko, Nanakuma, & JR Lines), exit from the West 1 Exit (Hakata Gate) and walk towards the Hakata Bus Terminal building (3 minutes) – either on ground level or by taking the bridge connecting the buildings. Sounds a bit complicated, but really, the shop is basically right next to the Hakata Bus Terminal.
Kiwamiya Hamburg
🌏 Location 🌏
Japan, 〒812-0012 Fukuoka, Hakata Ward, Hakataekichuogai, 2−1 1階
🗺 Map 🗺
https://goo.gl/maps/JRw9RtiTg7QNsDCF9
⏰ Opening Hours ⏰
11 A.M to 10 P.M.
💻 Website 💻
https://kiwamiya.com/
📖 Online Menu 📖
https://kiwamiya.com/shoplist/hakata#menu
